Criminal next to the president's daughter Europe's most wanted drug lord discovered in Africa
The Dutchman is considered a key figure in the international cocaine trade and has been wanted for years. Investigators have now located him in Sierra Leone. But there is a problem.
26.01.2025, 20:50
dpa
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- After years of searching, one of Europe's most wanted drug lords has been tracked down in Sierra Leone.
- The Dutchman is considered a key figure in the international cocaine trade and has been wanted for years.
- However, it is difficult to bring the wanted man to the Netherlands as there is no extradition treaty with Sierra Leone.
After years of searching, one of Europe's most wanted drug lords has been tracked down in Sierra Leone. According to the Dutch police, it has been absolutely certain for six months that the Dutchman Jos Leijdekkers, who is a key figure in the international cocaine trade, is in the West African country.
The wanted man, nicknamed "Bolle Jos", is on the EU list of most wanted criminals. He was sentenced in absentia in the Netherlands last year to 24 years in prison for smuggling almost seven tons of cocaine and ordering a murder. In September, a Belgian court sentenced him to ten years in prison for drug trafficking and assault. Investigators had last suspected him of being in Turkey.
Reward of 200,000 euros offered
The authorities assume that the 33-year-old earned tens of millions of euros by smuggling cocaine, particularly via the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. A reward of 200,000 euros has been offered for information leading to Leijdekker's arrest.
As the public broadcaster NOS reported on the evening news program "Een Vandaag" on Saturday, the drug boss had been spotted in pictures with the president of the West African country. The Dutch broadcaster showed a video sequence that is said to show the criminal next to the president's daughter in a church. Sierra Leone has a hinge function in the cocaine trade between South America and Europe.
However, it would be difficult to bring the wanted man to the Netherlands, as there is no extradition treaty with Sierra Leone and Leijdekkers may have taken the country's nationality, reported NOS.
Sierra Leone's government: President did not know Leijdekker
Sierra Leone's government announced that the president had taken part in numerous events during the holidays, at which photos were taken with various people. However, he had no knowledge of Leijdekker's identity or the allegations made against him. The government announced an investigation. The country's police are prepared to cooperate with the Dutch authorities, Interpol and other international partners. At the same time, it reaffirmed its determination to consistently combat transnational crime.
Despite its rich natural resources such as diamonds, gold and bauxite, the West African country of Sierra Leone is one of the ten least developed countries in the world. In the corruption ranking of the NGO Transparency International, the country with around 8.5 million inhabitants and regular democratic elections is ranked 108th out of 180 of the most corrupt states. As in other coastal states in West Africa, the ports serve as an important port of call for drugs from South America on their onward journey to Europe.